1903 Sporter

So a very close friend of mine gave me a 1903 barreled action and a walnut grade aa stock. It is a rough cut and needs very much to be chiseled. The action obviously does not sit correctly in the stock. So far I have been taking lipstick and using it to see where it contacts the wood, but in some areas it is just so far off from seating correctly.

Anyone who can advise me would be appreciated, especially for those who have ventured into this endeavor before. I am really nervous about hurting the stock past "repair". If neccesary I can provide pictures of what I am doing.

Hi Lupo,
I'm a dental technician by trade and I've used some of my tools for inletting. There is a dental product for marking high spots on crowns that I use and it's great for very close finishing. It's water soluble, so it cleans up nice. I just brush it onto the metal and carefully place it into the stock. Wherever it leaves a mark, that is the area to grind on. It takes patience to do any job right, but this is a simple way, and it's not messy. you can use chisels and a Dremel to adjust the wood. I've gotten some very close fitting with this method.

The paste is called Bite-X and it is sold by Tanaka Dental Products in Skoki, Illinois. Their number is 847-679-1610.

Don't hesitate to ask questions about this. I've fitted several stocks to 1903's. Do you have a Dremel? I use a dental electric handpiece and I've found that a good sized bur will cut fast and when you get down to the fine fit I go to a stone bit. The old timers used knives, chisels, rasps and sandpaper. Be very careful on the exposed edge of the wood that fits up against the receiver that you don't remove too much at once and that it is straight and not wavy. No big gapes either. By the way, I have a lot of parts for Springfield 1903's. I also can tell you how to finish the wood so it looks nice. Good luck.

Lupo6
I like to use a piece of chalk for marking the action and transferring the contact points to the wood. Its cheap and cleans up easy. You can sharpen the chalk stick to get into the corners of the action. Go slow. Use very sharp tools and learn how to sharpen them. Nothing ruins any woodworking project like dull tools. Power tools work OK for removing lots of material but at some point you just need sandpaper and the woodworking tools mentioned above. I always try to use good backing for the sandpaper so that flats stay flat and round areas stay round. Pay the most attention to the fit in the recoil lug area for maximum contact. IF it is a sporter stock I presume you would consider glass bedding, which will reduce the need for "perfect" fit. Be prepared to place and remove the action from the stock about 5,647 times

Just a few words of advice. Buy or make a headless pilot screw, a bit longer than the rear action screw. Screw it in the front of the action. Inlet the trigger guard first and leave it in place. The action pilot screw will take the action back to the same location in the stock after you remove binding points on the wood. Don't worry about the rear screw until you're well along with the inletting. If you havn't noticed already, the rear screw is angled in and you can't use a pilot screw for the rear like you can on a Mauser. Good project for the long winter evenings.